On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 23:35:14 +0000, Bob Adams
wrote:

In message , Ben and Michiyo
writes
You should only swipe once for going in and once going out. If you can not
make sure you are only charged for one journey and if not ring the
oystercard helpline to be refunded.

Will somebody please explain to me how an Oyster card is an improvement
over a travel card _from a regular commuter passengers point of view_ ?

A travel card just works. No phoning, no unnecessary swiping, no
overcharging, no stress. Is an Oyster truly an improvement for anybody
else other than LUL? If not, why is everybody playing along with this
charade?

I guess three main reasons...

(1) So long as I just go on having the same travelcard that I've
always had, but on an Oyster card, very little changes. I get a
plastic ticket instead of a paper one, I keep the same bit of plastic
when I renew it, and I touch it at barriers instead of putting it in a
slot. Otherwise I use my travelcard just the same way as I always did

(2) Despite some uncertainties and confusion about how it works in
every case, pre-pay should save me hassle: one cash payment in advance
and then I just meticulously touch my card whenever I go out of zone,
instead of having to mess around buying extension tickets. In my
case, the real value from pre-pay will come when I can use Oyster
pre-pay at East Finchley for pay-and-display car parking, a paper from
the newsagents at the front of the station, and an espresso from café
mobile just outside, as well as for my extension fare...

(3) I fund LU through both my council tax and my season ticket -
so if it saves LU money, either by more efficient ticketing or by
reducing fraud, it saves me money as well

Martin